President Obama did a rare thing today at the White House: he admitted to a shortcoming.

"That’s one thing I can’t do is rap," Obama told a group of a 130 students. "I like rap, but I can’t rap. I got enough of a rap that I got Michelle to marry me."

The remarks were part of an event called "Beating the Odds," which was hosted today by First Lady Michelle Obama. 

Via the pool report:

POTUS stopped by FLOTUS’s “Beating the Odds” event unexpectedly this afternoon around 3 p.m. As your pooler was ushered into the East Room, she could hear about 130 students cheering. Students stood, yelled and lifted their smart phones to record the president as he spoke. Here are some quotes – do check them against the official transcript. POTUS heaped praise on his wife. “I understand that you’ve spent time with the true star of the Obama household, the First Lady of the United States. But I wasn’t going to let her have all the fun.” “I’ve got a lot of stuff going on, I’m working this and I’m working that,” Obama said, explaining that his remarks would be brief. “America succeeds only when every young person in America is able to dream big and have the tools to chase their dreams.” “The attention here at Beating the Odds Summit is just to remind all of us that even when times look tough, even though there are very real frustrations out there in terms of inequality and racism, and the barriers that are put in place that need to be torn down but haven’t been torn down yet. ” … “Even though those are real problems, this is still a nation of opportunity.” Obama implored the students to “set their bar high” – those who are meeting their goals should be setting tougher ones, he said. Obama also went on a riff about the joys of the smart phone. “You have the world at your fingertips,” he said. “You have more information in that little thing then in what used to be the world’s greatest libraries.” At the end, Obama admitted to one shortcoming. “That’s one thing I can’t do is rap. I like rap, but I can’t rap. I got enough of a rap that I got Michelle to marry me.” Details on FLOTUS event from WH yesterday Thursday, July 23, the First Lady will welcome more than 130 college-bound students from across the country to participate in the 2015 Beating the Odds Summit. These students are being sponsored by 70 non-profit organizations, and represent a mix of urban, rural, foster, homeless, special needs, and under-represented youth who have overcome substantial obstacles to persist through high school and make it to college. This event will focus on sharing tools and strategies students can use to successfully transition to college and the resources they will need to complete the next level of their education.